Data Reappropriation as an Act of Technological Self-Determination

This paper explores the phenomenon of data reappropriation by workers within the contemporary digital workplace as a crucial site for philosophical inquiry into the nature of power, technology, and human agency. Departing from traditional analyses of workplace surveillance as a unidirectional exercise of managerial control, we argue that the very data generated by these systems can become a resource for workers, enabling them to engage in a form of technological self-determination. This reappropriation challenges the assumption of a singular, top-down perspective inherent in many analyses of digital monitoring, demonstrating how those subjected to observation can, in turn, utilize the instruments of observation for their own purposes. We define data reappropriation as the process by which workers extract data generated within the workplace—often through systems designed for surveillance and performance management—and repurpose it for ends that transcend and often subvert their intended managerial function. This encompasses diverse practices, from using performance metrics to expose systemic inefficiencies to leveraging communication data to foster alternative forms of sociality and knowledge production within the organizational structure. This act of repurposing raises fundamental questions about the status of data itself: is it merely a neutral instrument, or does its meaning shift depending on its context of use and the intentions of the user? This research draws on critical theory and the philosophy of technology to develop a framework for understanding data reappropriation as an ethical and epistemological act. We argue that this practice constitutes a form of “counter-conduct,” resisting the prescribed modes of behavior imposed by managerial technologies. By understanding the data flows and algorithmic logic of workplace systems, workers can create spaces of autonomy and challenge the totalizing aspirations of digital control. Furthermore, this data can be used for workplace democracy and humanization of work. Through philosophical analysis and illustrative examples of data reappropriation, this paper illuminates the complex interplay between technology, power, and resistance in the digital age. By reclaiming and repurposing data, workers are not simply reacting to technological change but actively engaging in a process of challenging the very terms of their existence within the digital workplace.